Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 Incubator is AMAZING!

[SnapdragonQ]

Initially, I read that ducks needed a higher humidity so I was running it at 58%. After browsing around here and reading more, it seems like the (relatively broad) consensus is that 35-55% is good for ducks, chickens, and guineas (the stuff I'm trying to hatch). So I've been aiming for 45% now, dropping to that slowly over a few days.

But it's hard to keep it that low without letting it run dry or close to dry. I'd taken the manual as gospel so I hadn't let it get to that point. On the first candling, my girlfriend didn't get the lid closed completely (very easy to do if you don't check), and it went into the 40s being slightly ajar like that without having the temp drop below 99.5.

So I thought I'd ask folks with more (eg any) experience...
Is it okay to let it run without water for a while as long as the humidity reading is within the desired range?
Is it okay to leave the lid slightly ajar like that to help regulate humidity (assuming there's no change in temperature) ?

Right now, I've got 2 incubators running on little water with fully open vents, and one's at 49%, the other 47%. If I fill the water in them and do nothing else, they typically run to 58-62%

I don't have anything helpful concerning the incubators but I used to have ducks. Muscovies, which don't actually need water or a pond generally to stay healthy because they are more like barnyard geese. However whenever I would have a sitting mom on a clutch I would be sure to put a fresh pan of water out near the end because I know ducks will purposely wet their feathers during what we call the lockdown period to bring extra humidity to the hatching clutch.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

I know we were talking about how the humidity in the room can effect the incubators yesterday, so I decided to check my chicken room again since I was going off of my memory, lol. Since i forgot to add water to the incubators that are currently full of eggs it was a good example of how much drier it can be inside of the incubator vs your room because of the heating element drying it out.

It's approximately 47-48% humidity in the room and it was 25% in the incubators on a rainy day in Georgia, with the AC running. Lol

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Thank you!

I put my regular temp/hygrometer near to the bator so I could watch and learn how the rooms readings may/may not affect the bators. Now that the humid heat wave has settled a bit in my area the house humidity has dropped some and the bator humidity is staying more steady.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

For sure! The only sensors that matter are the ones inside . I don't use sensors outside unless one just happens to be moving from incubator to incubator.

Where did you get your extra sensors for the app?

 

[CrisAnderson27]

Where did you get your extra sensors for the app?

The app is free. You buy sensors to pair to it. I got them from Amazon. At first I was very unhappy with them. But like the incubator, by the end of the first hatch I was happy.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

Thanks Cris. I found them on Amazon and might get an extra one for around the house use too.

So I candled last night and have lots of veined eggs but found trying to get a pic, while blocking out the extra light a little tricky and was afraid I was jostling the eggs too much.
Today I scrounged around for ideas and came up with a little paper cap that fits over the candling area that both holds the egg steady for pics and blocks out the extra light around the light edge. Plus it blocks the light coming through the plastic too.

It was a little futzy to make because of the domed top on the newest model, but it works. Those of you with the flat bigger white plastic top will be able to make one much easier.
Just black construction paper and some tape. I use painters tape to put it on the dome, then could easily remove it when done.
If you don't have black construction paper cardstock would probably work fine and I even played with some tin foil too, which blocked the extra light very well.

 

[CrisAnderson27]

Thanks Cris. I found them on Amazon and might get an extra one for around the house use too.

So I candled last night and have lots of veined eggs but found trying to get a pic, while blocking out the extra light a little tricky and was afraid I was jostling the eggs too much.
Today I scrounged around for ideas and came up with a little paper cap that fits over the candling area that both holds the egg steady for pics and blocks out the extra light around the light edge. Plus it blocks the light coming through the plastic too.

It was a little futzy to make because of the domed top on the newest model, but it works. Those of you with the flat bigger white plastic top will be able to make one much easier.
Just black construction paper and some tape. I use painters tape to put it on the dome, then could easily remove it when done.
If you don't have black construction paper cardstock would probably work fine and I even played with some tin foil too, which blocked the extra light very well.

Yep! I've seen that and thought of making a similar setup!!

If you have a standard oral thermometer you can calibrate the GoVee too, they are very accurate. The calibration is in the app.

As for me...today is Ayam Cemani hatch day!!

Fun stuff...so far we're 7 out of 11 pips lol. Fingers crossed!

 

[SnapdragonQ]

Yep! I've seen that and thought of making a similar setup!!

If you have a standard oral thermometer you can calibrate the GoVee too, they are very accurate. The calibration is in the app.

As for me...today is Ayam Cemani hatch day!!

Fun stuff...so far we're 7 out of 11 pips lol. Fingers crossed!

Oh how exciting!! Thanks for sharing...got my fingers and toes crossed all hatch ok.

Cool brooder set up too.

 

[CrisAnderson27]

Oh how exciting!! Thanks for sharing...got my fingers and toes crossed all hatch ok.

Cool brooder set up too.

Thanks!

So far we have two.

 

[CrisAnderson27]

Make that four!

But one keeps flipping over and can't get back upright very well. She also has an umbilical cord looking thing, and is dragging around part of her shell.../sigh.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Make that four!

But one keeps flipping over and can't get back upright very well. She also has an umbilical cord looking thing, and is dragging around part of her shell.../sigh.

It happens occasionally. You can pinch the cord with tweezers and snip it so the shell doesn't pull on the navel.

The flipping babies usually figure things out but if it doesn't correct itself even after it starts to dry you can take it out of the incubator and hold it in the normal upright position for a bit. I think this happens when the fluid in the neck doesn't go down quickly. The fluid build up is what gives a chick the strength to break out if the shell but when they're out you will occasionally see a baby that keeps flipping backwards.